Automatic tape dispenser



Nov. 25, 1958 R. P. SCHNEIDER AUTOMATIC TAPE DISPENSER Filed Sept. 26, 1956 f INVENTOR.

R. P. SCHNEIDER AUTOMATIC TAPE DISPENSER Robert P. Schneider, Greensboro, N. C., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York,

N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 26, 1956, Serial No. 612,157

9 Claims. (Cl. 164-42) tape covered with an impregnated or pressure sensitive adhesive to an operator. The tape may be of the character which is made of paper, cellophane, cloth, foil or the like, treated or covered on one or both sides with the adhesive.

In the past, tape dispensers have been provided with wheels for the reception of the tacking or pressure sensitive side of the tape and having peripheral recesses on said wheel to facilitate removal of predetermined lengths of tape. Some tape dispensers are provided with peripheral recess for the reception of a cutting knife blade.

Certain devices have been employed in which the mechanism facilitates manual uncoiling of a roll of tape and tearing off a length of tape therefrom. However, during the use of such mechanisms, an operator usually pulls out too great a length whereby a large amount of tape is wasted or the operator may tear off too short a length of tape from a roller for the purpose desired, thereby necessitating tearing off a second strip with a waste of time and material. The present invention is aimed to obliviate these and certain other disadvantages of the prior practices.

One object of the present invention is to provide a tape dispenser and cutter which is adapted to pull an adhesive surface tape from a supply roller and deliver the same into small predetermined lengths.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tape dispenser of the type referred to in which the adhesive of the tape is utilized to support the same during the cutting and delivery operations.

A further object is to provide a tape dispenser of the type described wherein by the use of a single operating means a tape is properly fed by an anvil roller past a cutting knife and the knife is actuated at a time when the tape and anvil roller are at a standstill.

A still further object is to provide a tape dispenser of j the type described in which the knife is pivotally mounted I and spring-actuated, and the spring is placed under compression by the tape feeding member.

Another object is to provide a tape dispenser which can be actuated by one hand thus leaving the other hand for the removal of the cut tape from a roller of the dispenser whereby the speed at which the delivery can be actuated is limited only by the speed with which the operator can remove the cut tape therefrom. r

A further object is to provide a tape dispenser which is driven by a motor which may be energized by means of a foot switch thereby enabling an operator to utilize both hands in the removal of the cut tape.

the dispenser by the adhesive film on the tape and laterally projecting from the side of the roller to permit the operator to pick the pieces of cut tape 01f from the roller. Another object is to provide a small auxiliary anvil roller to support the portion of the tape which projects from the dispenser roller during the cutting operation.

Still another object is to provide a tape dispenser and cutter of the type described which is simple in construction, efficient and rapid in operation, as well as cheap in manufacture.

The tape dispenser according to the invention comprises a dispenser roller having smooth circumferential surface thereon, a tape cutting blade, drive means to efiect a cooperative rotation of the dispenser roller and actuation of the tape cutting blade, a small anvil roller adjacent the dispenser roller and positioned so that lines of tangency along the surfaces of the two'rollers form a support against which the blade will strike during the cutting operation.

Other objects and features of the invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmental side elevation view of a tape dispenser of one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section of the tape dispenser taken substantially on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of a portion of the tape dispenser, the view being taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. i

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the tape dispenser comprises a dispensing or anvil roller 11 having a smooth periphery thereon axially apertured to receive a shaft or pin 12 on which it is rotatably mounted. The shaft 12 is mounted in an aperture 13 in a plate 14 extending upwardly from a base 16 and rigidly secured thereto by bolt means 17 or any other appropriate means. The plate 14 also supports a supply reel 18 of adhesive tape 19. The adhesive tape 19 is adapted to be fed from the supply reel 18, secured to a shaft 21 by a nut 22, over an idler or guide roller 23 and on to a cylindrical periphery of the dispensing or anvil roller 11 with the adhesive side 24 of the tape 19 delivered inwardly in the engagement with the cylindrical surface of the anvil roller 11 thus causing the tape 19 to adhere to and laterally project from one sideof the anvil roller 11 which is aided by the use of a pressure roller 26 pivotally secured to a dowel pin 27, supporting the idler roller 23, through an arm 28. The pressure roller 26 which is rotatably secured to the arm 28 by a dowel pin 29 is biased toward the dispensing roller 11 by means of a leaf spring 31 in juxtaposition with a stop member 32 secured to the plate 14. The dispensing roller 11 is adapted to be rotated in a step by step motion and is provided with a conventional ratchet clutch element designated generally by the numeral 33, which is rigidly secured by being in press fit in acylindrical depression 34 in the anvil roller 11. 'The clutch element 33 is formed of an inner cylindrical member 36 which is provided with peripheral triangular notch surfaces 37 which cooperate with the inner surface 38 of an outer race member 39 to form a wedge shape recess 41 in each of which are mounted spring biased spherical members 42. The inner cylindrical member 36 of the clutch member 33 is oscillatable about the axis of the shaft Hand is rigidly secured to the shaft 12 by a key 43. A cover pl ate.44 is secured to the shaft 12 by the same key'43 and is moved by a pitman 46 pivotally secured adjacent the outer periphery thereof. The opposing end of the pitman 46 is adjustably secured in a transverse slot 47 in a cylindrical member 48 which is rigidly secured to one end of a shaft 49 mounted in an aperture 51 in the 'ing the tape 19 so between. a In operation the adhesive or'pressure sensitive tape 19 is withdrawn from the'supply reel 18 by' the large anvil "(roller 11 as it is indexed. The adhesive side 24 of the .tape 19 is applied in detachable adhering relationship plate. member 14. .Thepitman 46 may be, adjusted by the use of bolt means 52 to any desired position with respect to the center of the cylindrical member 48 to ad- .just' thev effective length. of the crankarm formed thereby and which,.inlturn, determines. the length of the pieces .of tape. 53 to be cut.. On theopposing end of the shaft 49, is a handle or crank 54 adjustably secured thereto by a set screw 56. Intermediatethe endof the shaft 49 and 57 is utilized to hold the cutting knife, designated generally by'nume'ral 59, away from the anvil roller 11 except .at-such times as it is desired to cut the tape 19. The flat surface 58 of the cam member 57 is so positioned with respect to the endxpitman 46 that'as the cylindrical member .48 is rotated, which is always in a clockwise direction, asviewed inFig. 1, the knife 59 will be actuated as the pitman 46 is in its upward motion and the ratchet clutch .33 .is disengaged, thus, theanvil roller 11 and the tape 19 are at a standstill.

It will be seen from the description thus far, that under the control of the operator, the handle 54 may be rotated to oscillate the clutch member 33 and rotate the anvil roller 11 a predetermined arc to feed a predetermined length of tape 19.to be. cut, during the return movement of the clutch member 33, while the anvil roller 11.is'held stationary due to the pressure thereon by the pressure roller 26. After each increment of feeding movement of the anvil roller 11 the adhesive tape 19 thereon is'severed at a point in a predetermined annular relation to the axis of the anvil roller 11 by the radial movement of the knife 59. Theknife 59 is actuated by a spiral spring61, positioned on an adjustable member 62 projected upwardly from the base member 16, in response to the movement of the cam member 57. The adjusting member is used to provide a greater or less amount of compression in the spring 61 to control the pressure of the knife 59 against the anvil roller 11. The knife 59 in the embodiment illustrated herein comprises a razor blade 63 disposed in a recess 64 in a removable clamp member 66 and is clamped in position therein by a pair of screws 6767. Thecutting edge of the knife blade 63 is maintained in parallel alignment with the surface of the dispensing or anvil roller 11 as a result of the clamping member 66 being pivotally mounted on ascrew 65. The clamp member 66 is secured to one .end of an arm 68, the opposing end of which is pivotally -mounted to the plate member 14 by a shaft 69. Immediate the ends of the arm 68 is a rotatable cam follower I 71 secured in a longitudinal slot 72 in the arm 68 and on a pin 73 passing therethrough. I

A small auxiliary anvil roller 74in juxtaposition with i the large anvil roller 11 is rotatably secured to" the plate member 14 by a shaft 76 and is provided to support a section of the portion of the tape 19 which extends beyond the large anvil roller 11 at the section where the knife blade 63 strikes the tape 19 to cut the same. Due to the differential in diameters of the two anvil rollers, .11 and 74, as the large roller 11 rotates to carry the tape 19to the upper lefthand portion of the dispenser as viewed in Fig. l, the tape 19 will be moved away from the auxiliary roller 74. An immovable auxiliary anvil could be utilized but, since the tape 19 has adhesive on one side 24 thereof which contacts the surface of the anvil it is desirable to have a movable surfacesupportthat there is no frictional force thereto the anvil roller 11 by 'means of the pressure roller 26.

The tape 19 is of such a width and is so applied to .the

anvil roller 11 that one edge 77 of the tape 19 projects laterallybeyond the surface of the large anvil rollerll which is adjacent the auxiliary anvil roller 74. The tape 19 does not tend to adhere to the auxiliary anvil roller 74 due to the much smaller diameter thereof, which is theoretically only in a straight line contact with the tape 19 and because no pressure is exerted by roller 26 against the roller 74. After the'movernent of the large anvil roller 11 has been completed in any 'one cycle, the tape cutting blade 63 oscillates and cuts through the tape 19 to contact both the anvil rollers 11 and; 74 and then returns to a lower unoperated position. This leaves a' predetermined length of tape 53 adhering to the main anvil roller 11 with one edge 77 of the tape 19 projecting beyond the edge ofthe anvil roller 11. This position of the tape permits the operator to' grasp the free corner of the tape 19 and strip the tape from the anvil roller 11.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangejmer1ts are simply illustrative of) the ,a'pplication-ofthe principles .of theinvention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will'embody theprinciples of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is: v.

1. A tape dispenser which comprises an anvil roller,

1 a pivotally mounted tape cutting blade, drive means adapted to effect a cooperating rotation of the anvil roller and oscillation of the tape cuttingblade, asmall auxiliary roller in juxtaposition with said anvil roller and so positioned that peripheral portions of said rollers form a substantially continuous straight line which is engaged by the tape cutting blade during a tape cutting operation.

2. In a tape dispenser for cuttingand dispensing preselected lengths of tape having adhesive surfaces on at least one side thereof, a support,,means to,rotatably attach a supply of said tape to said support, a'dispenser roller having an outer circumferentialsurface onto. which the adhesive surface of the tape will detachably adhere, means for directing tape towards saiddispenser roller so that the adhesive surface thereof is pressed onto said dispenser roller with one edge thereof projecting from one edge of saidroller, an anvil roller rotatably secured to said support in juxtaposition with and having a smaller diameter than said dispenser roller, said, anvil r'ollerbeing so positioned that peripheral portionsrof'said rollers form a substantially continuous straight line, the axis of rotaintermittently rotating said dispenser roller in one direction'through a predetermined arc, amanually movable handle means actuatable toadvancethe surface of-said dispenser roller, a cutting member mounted adjacent said rollers, means operably connecting said dispenser roller to said cutting member to move said cutting member across theopath of the tape to contact the anvil roller and the dispenser roller along said straight line and to cut the tape in predetermined lengths in timed relationship to the rotation of said dispenser roller; and means for causing said cutter to intermittently sever said tape while the latter is at rest in response to the movement of said handle and to return said cutter to an unoperated position to permit further movement of said tape. I

3. In a tape dispenser for cutting and dispensing preselected lengths of tape having adhesive surface on at least one side thereof, a support, means to rotatably attach a supply of said tape to said support, a dispenser vroller onto which the adhesive surface of the tape will detachably adhere, an anvil'roller rotatably jsecuredto ing the tape towardsaid dispenser roller so thatfthel adhesive surface thereof is pressed one said dispenser roller with one edge of the tape projecting from an edge of said dispenser roller and tangential to said anvil roller, clutch means operatively connected to said dispenser roller and including an oscillatable member for intermittently rotating said dispenser roller in one direction through a predetermined arc, means to advance the surface of said dispenser rolier, and a cutting member operably connectedto said dispenser roller and having a cutting edge adapted to move across the path of the tape to contact the anvil roller and the dispenser roller along said straight line and to cut the tape in predetermined lengths in timed relationship to the rotation of said dispenser roller.

4. In a tape dispenser for cutting and dispensing preselected lengths of tape having adhesive surface on at least one side thereof, a support, means to rotatably attach a supply of said tape to said support, a dispenser roller having an outer circumferential surface onto which the adhesive surface of the tape will detachably adhere, an anvil roller rotatably secured to said support in juxtaposition with and having a smaller diameter than said dispenser roller, said anvil roller being so positioned that peripheral portions of said rollers form a substantially straight line, the axis of rotation of said anvil roller being parallel to and spaced from the axis of rotation of said dispenser roller a distance equal to the difference in the lengths of the radii of said rollers, means operatively connected to said dispenser rolier for intermittently rotating said dispenser roller in one direction through a predetermined ar-c, a cutting member having a cutting edge adapted to move across the path of the tape to contact the anvil roller and the dispenser roller along said straight line, and means for causing said cutter to intermittently sever said tape while said dispenser roller is at rest.

5. A tape dispenser comprising means for rotatably supporting a supply of tape, a cutting member, a rotatable dispensing roller for pulling said tape in a strip form from said supply reel and adapted to carry said tape in strip form past said cutting member where it is cut into short predetermined lengths, said dispensing roller being adapted to deliver said short lengths of tape to a position for removal from said dispenser roller, means for directing said tape toward said dispenser roller so that the adhesive surface thereof is pressed onto and in detachable adhesive contact with said dispenser roller and a portion of said tape projects from one edge of said dispenser roller, an anvil roller in juxtaposition with and of a smaller diameter than said dispenser roller to support the projecting portion of said tape, said anvil roller being so positioned that peripheral portions of said rollers form a substantially straight line, means for intermittently advancing said dispenser roller whereby the tape supported thereby is fed past said straight line, and means operably connected to the dispenser roller for intermittently operating said cutting member along said straight line whereby the cutting member is adapted to cut the tape in timed relationship with the operation of said dispenser roller.

6. A tape dispenser comprising a frame, a tape feeding supply removably mounted on said frame, a plurality of anvil rollers mounted on said frame and provided with outer circumferential surfaces, one of said anvil rollers having a smaller diameter than the other and so positioned that peripheral portions of two of said rollers form a substantially straight line, an oscillatable drive member to impart unidirectional rotation to the larger of said anvil rollers, a cutting blade removably mounted on a second oscillatable member, and means to move said cutting blade intermittently across the path of said tape and in contact with said anvil rollers along said straight line to sever the tape in timed relationship with the movement of said larger roller.

7. A tape dispenser comprising a tape supply, a dispensing roller, an anvil roller having a diameter smaller than said dispensing roller, said anvil roller being mounted with respect to said dispensing roller so that one portion of each of the peripheries of said rollers form substantially a straight line, means to feed said tape to jointly engage the peripheries of both of said rollers, and cutting means for engaging both of said rollers at the portions where their peripheries form substantially a straight line for severing the tape.

8. A tape dispenser comprising a tape supply, a dispensing roller, an anvil roller having a diameter smaller than said dispensing roller, said anvil roller being mounted with respect to said dispensing roller so that one portion of each of the peripheries of said rollers form substantially a straight line, means to feed said tape to jointly engage the peripheries of both of said rollers, means to intermittently rotate said dispensing roller to advance said tape, cutting means for engaging both of said rollers at the portions Where their peripheries form substantially a straight line for severing the tape, and means for actuating said cutting means in timed relationship to the intermittent rotation of said dispensing roller.

9 A tape dispenser which comprises an anvil roller, a movable tape cutting blade, drive means for eifecting a cooperating rotation of the anvil roller and movement of the tape cutting blade toward and away from said anvil roller, a small auxiliary roller in juxtaposition with said anvil roller and so positioned that peripheral portions of the anvil and auxiliary rollers form a substantially straight linewhich is engaged by the tape cutting blade when the blade is moved toward the anvil roller.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,326,917 Anderson Aug. 17, 1943- 2,384,575 Stull Sept. 11, 1945 2,492,593 Quinlan Dec. 27, 1949 2,540,694 Sieg Feb. 6, 1951 2,595,060 Dixon et al. Apr. 29, 1952 

